The Musings of a Lonely Man
by TalliW
Summary: Lester is falling in love.
1. The Musings of a Lonely Man

The Musings of a Lonely Man

Today, he was not his usual self, not the self-assured and controlled man he showed the world every day.  
It was a long time since he had last felt like this. Miserable, confused and so in love.

The last time had been the day he'd realised he fancied the woman his best friend was also in love with.  
He'd been so scared he would screw everything up. It had worked out in the end, though, until recently, over a decade later, when it had all fallen apart with just a few hurtful words from the woman he'd once loved.  
So why couldn't he get one particular scene out of his mind? He really had enough other things on his hands, apart from this. But every time the Forest of Dean was mentioned he remembered the moment when he'd seen the fire dying in this man's eyes at he realised the enormity of his friend's betrayal of him.

He wanted to whip this moment out of time, wanted to make it all better, to hold him, heal him. But this was not the way life worked. You couldn't make someone whole again with just a light touch. He wanted to try it anyway. But this was crazy. He could not fall in love with a man. He was straight. There were a handful of woman out there to testify to that.

But everytime he met this man and looked in his now dull blue eyes he knew he was lost. He wished he could do something to make the hurt go away and to banish the loneliness they both felt.

He could hardly believe he was falling for a middle aged scruffy professor named Nick Cutter. But there was no denying the signs. He was in it, head over heals and destinated to make a fool out of himself.

And newly divorced James Lester did not like this thought one little bit.


	2. Watching

Watching 

Lester was watching him. Again.

His team members had noticed it too.

Connor had whispered to him yesterday: "He's starting to like you. I'm sure he's finally realised the government couldn't do it without you."

Cutter had just shrugged.

But today Abby had made an entirely different comment: "If I didn't know he is married and presumably straight, I' d think he's checking you out."

Nick hadn't managed to stop a blush spreading over his whole face when he'd heard that. Abby had giggled and after saying: "I'm sure he can be very nice.", had sauntered off, still laughing.

At first he thought Lester was worried about him finally going nuts after his insane display when Jenny Lewis had arrived, but then Abby's comment got him thinking.

She was right. Lester did not just watch him, he was nearly ogling him.

Nick was sure Lester had a good reason for this particular demeanour, albeit he had no idea what it could be.  
All Nick Cutter knew was that the staring was making him feel really uncomfortable.

He felt that the best way to put a stop to this was probably to stare back.  
So he resolved that the next time Lester turned his eyes toward him he would do the same.

Abby and Connor grinned. This was ridiculous. Lester and Cutter - both watching each other.

It was also cute, in a strange way, the romanticist inside Abby thought.

Every time Cutter felt an awkward tingle on his skin at being observed, he now looked straight back into Lester's eyes until the other man turned away and went back to work.

The times he had to do this had got fewer in the last days and today Lester hadn't looked at him at all.

In a disconcerting way, Cutter missed it suddenly. So when Lester came down to the Anomaly Detector to ask them a question, Cutter looked at him, openly and warmly.

Lester appeared confused, at first. Then he returned the look, a faint but sincere smile forming on his lips.

Nick Cutter just smiled back.


	3. Talking

Talking 

Cutter had thought it over, again and again. It was time to move on, finally. But to do this he had to get rid of the past or more accurately one particular person from his past. But that wasn't going to be so easy as it sounded.

So when he strode right into James Lester's office, without even a greeting he came straight to the point.

"I want a divorce!"

Lester blinked. "Good morning to you too."

"Ah, yeah right. Good morning." Cutter answered embarrassed. Then he continued, with barely a pause: "For the last 8 years I thought Helen had died in the Forest of Dean and I started to glorify our marriage, I blocked out all the problems we'd had. Now she's back, messing up everything in my life, telling me she had an affair with my former student and eventual friend. And to top all this, de facto, she is still my wife and apparently wants me back." Nick visibly cringed at the thought.  
"So I want a divorce and I want to get rid of her once and for all. I want to be rid of this.... this...."

"... bitch of hell..?" Lester supplied, helpfully.

Cutter had to suppress a chuckle. The topic was too serious to make fun of it, wasn't it? Maybe not.

"Of course, I can help you." Lester said. "I know enough about awkward affairs. I've just got a divorce myself."

Cutter looked shocked. "And here was me thinking you were a happily married man."

"No, I'm just a happily divorced man." Lester answered, in his usual deadpan manner.

Now Nick Cutter couldn't hold back his grin. Who would have thought a government employee could have such a sense of humour?

James Lester merely raised his left eyebrow, then got back to business. "Officially she's still dead and you're a widower. But after she's jumped in and out of our timeline this much, there is no denying she's still alive. So what we have to do first is acknowledge that she never died, but rather left you deliberately. Then it will be easy to convince the court your marriage is truly over and that she is the one responsible. I can get the procedure on the way whenever you want, discreetly, of course."

Cutter was relieved. He knew James Lester was nothing if not efficient. With him pulling the strings, Nick could be sure he would be a divorced man soon.

"Yes, please. And thank you!" he answered, then smiled gratefully at Lester.

At that moment the Anomaly Detector went off and a screeching sound carried through the ARC. Both men winced and started to move down to the others already gathering around the Detector.

Half down the ramp to the ground floor, Nick turned around to Lester. "Look, I'm really grateful for your help. So when you need something...." he trailed off at James Lester's intense look. Hell, this was awkward. He tried again. "I mean... perhaps we could meet ... after work... .... and discuss the matter in more detail?"

Lester gulped: "I think I have all the information needed right now."

Dejectedly, Nick walked on, but he had to give it one last try. He was sick of his seclusion. Ever since coming back through the Anomaly in the Forest of Dean he'd felt separated from the others. He missed his former friend Stephen and the good intellectual conversation they'd shared. Now they hardly tolerated each other.

Abby and Connor were still enthusiastic kids and with Jenny he'd barely formed a tentative cooperation after ticking her off once too often by calling her Claudia. Lester was the only one he could still have a decent chat with, even though they did rub each other up the wrong way all too often. Besides he was the one who seemed to be able make him smile without even trying. Nick needed to laugh, needed to loosen up or he would fall into the living hell his lovely wife had created for him.

So he fought down his pride and nearly pleaded: "We could ... you know... just talk, have a nice conversation about ... anything you want."

James Lester regarded him watchfully then gave a tentative nod. "Perhaps later, when we have the latest anomaly under control again. I'm sick of looking at the wall in a hotel as a evening entertainment anyway."

"Hotel?" Nick asked, instantly curious.

"Yes. My ex-wife got the kids, the house and the car. All I've got left is an old manor in need of too much repair and an even older hunting lodge which is more ruinous than the manor." With an impish grin he added: "As you can see I'm not a great catch anymore."

Nick chuckled at this and strode on to where his team were waiting for him.

He had an anomaly to secure and an appointment to look forward to.

And there was also the remote chance that he might make, well, maybe not a great catch, but certainly a really nice one.


	4. Chasing

Chasing

After running around the Berkshire countryside in an attempt to capture a group of crazy Echinodons, Cutter was beat.

The 60 cm long lizards had first peacefully munched on the vegetation at first, then had suddenly run like hell as the team tried to approach them. There was no way to keep up with the agile little creatures on foot.

Lester considered ordering them to be hunted with cars, but a couple of mililtary vehicles speeding around the landscape was a sure way to attract attention.

Lester wasn't the only one with problems. Jenny Lewis had enough on her hands as it was. Some of the Echinodons had taken the liberty of roaming into the kitchen of a nearby manor. The wife of the owner, some Lord something-or-other, a name Nick hadn't bothered to memorise, had screamed blue murder at seeing the mess. Nick didn't know what story Jenny had to make up to cover the truth but he did know it had been hard work to calm the distraught couple down.

So it was understandable that Lester's latest idea just drew a weary sigh from her.

The lord had a large stud farm and Sir James wanted to use the horses to surround the saurians.

Cutter didn't like the new idea either. He'd been in his teens when he'd last ridden a horse. But it seemed like it really was the only way to catch the little troublemakers and send them back to their own world.

He wished he 'd put on another pair of trousers that morning, without thick seams on the inside. With his Levis on he was probably going to be very sore indeed on a horse.

'The things we endure for the common good.' he sighed as he walked over to the stables, where the stable boy had already prepared some horses with assistance from Stephen and Abby.

Connor was doubtful, eyeing the big black mare Stephen had saddled for him. Naturally, he was allergic to horses and tried to stifle his sneezing and wheezing in vain. Despite his handicap he didn't want to be left behind. It was bad enough that the others didn't trust him to handle a weapon anymore. So he slowly climbed into the saddle and just hoped it was a friendly horse with no intention of bucking him off.

Abby, Stephen and some of the soldiers had mounted their horses and were riding around the yard.

Nick looked over to them and hurried to get on his own horse. It seemed they were all now waiting just for him.

In front of the stable, Jenny Lewis was involved in an animated discussion with the titled gentleman. She was wearing a tight suit. With a skirt like hers it was impossible to get on a horse, but you couldn't impress people in practical outdoor clothing. Besides, Jenny was the PR manager only and was not supposed to be part of the field team. Perhaps Claudia would have gone with them, Nick thought, with regret. He was sure she would have cut a good figure on a horse. But as quickly as the notion surfaced, Nick banished the thoughts. Claudia was gone, she'd never existed in this timeline. He had to accept that.

His team was ready to take off and he was just about to give the order as James Lester arrived, stepping out of an outbuilding, without his usual business suit but dressed in black jeans and a blue sports jacket. Nick had no idea where Lester had got those clothes from here but the attire suited him rather well.

With ease, James Lester swung into the saddle of the white horse the stable boy had just lead out and with a motion of his head gave Lieutenant Lyle the command to move.

Four hours later, the job was finished. The annoying little Echinodons had been rounded up and, without any damage, carried back through the anomaly. However, some of the humans looked the worse for wear. Stephen had taken a brief bath in a ditch when his horse had shied back from a deer sprinting out of the woods. Connor' s mare hadn't bucked him off, but that hadn't been necessary as Connor had still managed to fall off her back at possible opportunity. His determination showed every time he climbed groaning back on the horse giving Abby the thumbs up.

Nick Cutter had made acquaintance with a beech branch as his horse tried to take a different way through a small group of trees. He now sported a nice purple dent on his forehead. Abby had some leaves in her hair and a twig had torn a new hole in her shirt but otherwise she was unharmed. And Lester' s hair looked badly tousled.

Checking out their damaged state, the group grinned at each other wearily.

Nick had to give James Lester credit. Despite the state of his hair, he was currently the best looking one of them all. Lester had proved to be an amazingly good and effective rider. Without him and the soldiers they would still be chasing after the Echinodons.  
It really was a waste for him to hide behind a desk. Nick wouldn't mind having him on his team on a regular basis.

Thinking about Lester reminded Nick of his meeting with him. 'Or was it a date? No, surely not a real date? Or perhaps it was?' Nick Cutter was rather confused right now. He had never seen himself other than heterosexual but perhaps it was time to reconsider the matter? Something was developing between him and Lester and he whould be damned if he let it slide because he was to afraid to act on his fondness for a man.

Back at the stable Cutter dismounted his headstrong horse and groaned at his soreness. He was right. The Levis had been a bad choice today. Some of the other team members seems to walk a little stifly too. They probably had the same problem he'd got.

Lester had already changed back into his business suit and was now just thanking his Lordship for his cooperation.

Some of the soldiers had to stay back to secure the Anomaly, but for Cutter and his team, their work here was done. They still had to write up and sign some reports at the ARC but after that they would be free to go home. Nick didn't know if Lester had the same option. They hadn't talked about other things as the new Anomaly and the task at hand to catch the saurians had occupied them for the whole time.

Lester had appeared to be his usual self, controlled, a little self-contained and rigid. Unlike himself, Nick hadn't seen any sign of nervousness on Lester's part at the prospect of their date.

Back at the ARC, Cutter had made his report as short as possible. His butt hurt and his shanks were sore. The hot shower had not helped much. He just wanted a nice evening at home. But there was still the matter of the date. Nick didn't want to miss it but sitting on a hard stool in a bar in regular clothes was virtually impossible.

James Lester was in his office, working on a stack of papers. He, looked up as Cutter entered.

"Sorry to disturb you. I just wanted to tell you that I've finished here."

Lester smiled. "Fine, I'm done in a moment too." He packed some files into a folder and stood up. "I'm ready when you are."

"Yeah, sorry about this...but I don't think I can go out today." Just for a moment Lester's disappointment showed through and Nick added quickly:"It's not that I don't want to. But the horseriding's left me a bit knackered."

Lester regarded him intensly then nodded. "It's all right. Perhaps another time. It was your idea anyway."

Nick Cutter pondered over this. Lester was right. He had asked him out and he wanted to spend some time with him. To accomplish that today there was only one way left. "If you don't mind seeing me wearing some comfortable old clothes we can meet at my house tonight."

Lester shrugged. "I have no problem with that. I just have to go back to my hotel room to change as well first."

"What's wrong with your current clothes?" Nick asked. Lester in his suit looked just fine to him.

"I don't want to look like I'm doing business with you when you're slouching around comfortably dressed."

Cutter smiled. "See you in an hour then." Pleased with the situation, he waddled out of the room.


	5. Meeting

Meeting

A/N: The honours for Nick's "secret passion for deep-fried Crunchies" goes to ethelfleda.;)

Exactly one hour later, James Lester stood in front of Professor Cutter's front door, knocking.

Some minutes later the door opened and a somewhat dishevelled Cutter, in crumpled sweatpants and shirt, appeared. "Sorry, just dozed off for a little while. Come in. Make yourself at home."

Hesitantly, Lester followed him in.

He had a little decoratively wrapped package in his hand and presented it to Cutter.

Nick was curious. After removing the wrapping paper he held a small tube in his hand.

His eyebrows shot up and he looked at Lester who blushed instantly. "It's not what it seems. It's for your posterior."

Nick blinked. "Of course it's for your legs too." Lester tried again, "I mean you're sore from horse riding, aren't you?"

At Cutter's confirming nod he carried on: "It's staghorn ointment, an old horseman's remedy for chafing. It's soothing and helps the raw skin to heal faster. It'll work best if you apply it right away."

"Thank you. It's a nice gift. My backside will be grateful. Do you use it too?"

Lester shook his head. "Not today but in the past, yes, from time to time. I rode a lot in my youth."

Cutter looked astounded. "So you had no problem with the riding today?"

Lester shrugged. "It was only for 4 hours. With the right wardrobe there are no problems.  
I'm glad I still had some of my clothes in the car when I moved out and I was lucky I had a pair of Wranglers with me. Without it them I would have got very sore. Of course jodphurs would have been better. But most of my things, including my riding gear, are still at my ex-wife's house. There isn't enough space in my hotel room. I should probably seek a place of my own soon."

With a motion of his head towards the ointment in Cutter's hand, Lester continued, "You'd better put it on. You' ll feel better afterwards"

Nick agreed and walked slowly to his bedroom. "Wanna help me?" he called over his shoulder.

Lester gulped, then blushed and turned his back on him.

Cutter chuckled. This could be fun. The James Lester who had started it all in the first place with his ogling was now acting almost shyly. Too bad; a massage would have been marvellous right now.

After Cutter had applied some ointment to his sore body parts, he walked back into the living room. Lester hadn't moved. He was still standing on the same spot with his back turned to him.

"I'm finished. It really helps. Thank you very much."

Lester turned to him, pleased. "You're welcome."

An awkward moment followed as both men regarded each other. Nick took the time to scan the other man from head to toe. James Lester, in beige coloured trousers and a vivid blue shirt with the first button open, was a nice sight.

Would you like a drink or something to eat?" Nick asked, finally. "I haven't had time to go shopping and there isn't much in the fridge right now. But we could order something. Perhaps Chinese. There's a good Chinese restaurant just around the corner."

Lester was hungry and agreed readily.

The food was ordered with Lester giving Cutter free rein in choosing, and it was delivered fast.

With a content smile, Lester dug into his food and made himself comfortable on Nick's large couch.

At the same time Nick fetched a bottle of a 20 year old Bruichladdich. A excellent single malt was good for everything, even awkward advances between two men.

After eating they talked, about work and life and everything. To his own astonishment Lester opened up to Nick very quickly. He talked about his failed marriage and his kids, who preferred to hang out with friends rather than to spend time with him. He was good company, lacing his words with a fine humour which often made Nick laugh.

In turn, Nick recounted some tales of his studies and some amusing experiences with students.

So the evening progressed rapidly.

Hours later they were still talking albeit their speech had got a little slurred by then.

The alcohol had affected Nick slightly more than Lester and soon he was babbling about Stephen, Helen and Claudia and his dislike of cauliflowers.

"Stephen was a good student, a fast learner."

Lester had restricted himself to short remarks by then. "Apparently!" was all Lester contributed to this topic.

"Helen didn't like him at first. She didn't care much for his self-confidence. I said to her: Give him a try. It looks she did exactly that." Cutter laughed hard.

After some more drinking he continued, "Claudia was sweet. Entirely different from Helen. It was the only time I ever got kissed by a woman I didn't know at a first meeting. You know, I could have fallen in love with her. But she's gone. Now I like someone else."

Lester brow shot up after hearing all that.

Cutter took another sip from his glass and stretched out in the chair. "Uh, I'm full. The Chinese was good. It seems to be all I'm eating right now. Helen never liked to cook. But Stephen sometimes did. Liked his roast pork but not the buttered cauliflowers. Don't know who would eat something like this." Cutter mumbled, drunkenly. "The Yorkshire pudding was good too"

Another shot later Nick started again. "Do you know what tastes best?" he asked. "Deep-fried Crunchies! You should try one, you'd feel better in a jiffy. Yeah, deep-fried Crunchies, that's what you need."

After that Nick Cutter slid down from the chair right under the table.


	6. Awakening

Awakening (6)

A/N: The honours for Nick's "secret passion for deep-fried Crunchies" goes to ethelfleda.;)

Groaning, Professor Nick Cutter woke up in his bed, still clothed. His head hurt, his arse too and his mouth tasted horrible. Fortunately it was Sunday and he would not have to get up and go to the ARC or the University.

The ARC! Lester!

Everything tumbled around in his head and he tried to make sense of it. Lester had been here, yesterday. They'd talked... and drunk apparently. But where was Lester now? The last time he remembered anything they'd been sitting in the living room. And why did he have a sore arse? He couldn't have.....

Slowly his memories came back.

Horses.... and lizards.... and very likely talking about things he shouldn't have.

Argh, this hangover was bad.

On shaky legs Nick Cutter staggered into his bathroom.  
A hot shower and a couple of Aspirin would help. A nice breakfast was in order too. He suddenly had a craving for deep-fried Crunchies.

Nick shock his head. Where did that come from? He hadn't thought about deep-fried Crunchies in years. Afterwards he should probably find out how Lester was but right now he felt too bad to care.

Lester, bleary-eyed, stared at his rumpled appearance in the mirror of his hotel bathroom. He hadn't felt so knocked out since his stag night. Talking with Cutter was a strain.  
He had a mild headache and the muscles in his right shoulder were torn. Cutter really should shed some pounds.

Maybe he should call him and see how he was doing. But later, very much later. Tired, James Later scuttled back to the bed and was out for the count instantly.

On Monday, Nick Cutter was nervous about going into the ARC, and so was James Lester.

Yesterday Cutter hadn't looked for Lester and Lester hadn't called.

The government employee busied himself in his office, whereas Cutter spent his time with Connor and Abby trying not to look up at the room Lester was working in. After some more talking with his team members, Nick couldn't bear it any longer. He walked straight in Lester's office, demanding, "How are you?"

Lester eyed him. "I'm fine. I had a little headache afterwards but nothing an Aspirin couldn't heal."

"Yeah, me too. God, was I drunk. I'm still wondering how I managed to get into my bed in that condition."

"I carried you," Lester answered.

Cutter gulped, "You did?"

"I thought waking up hung-over under the table and probably banging your head on it in the process so was not on your shortlist for things to do on a Sunday morning," James Lester commented.

Cutter blinked. "Right!" Then added, "Perhaps we could do that again. The meeting, not the carrying, I mean. And of course with a lot less alcohol."

Lester was glad of that. "I have nothing against that idea. The next time we could get out somewhere, assumed your behind is better by then. Although I'm afraid the places I know don't serve something like deep-fried Crunchies," he teased.

Cutter felt like a bucket of icy water had hit him.

In his drunken state he had revealed his secret passion for deep-fried Crunchies to Lester. Only Helen knew about that and she had made fun of him on every possible occasion. Later her teasing had got even more nasty. So he had not eaten them anymore, not even after Helen's disappearance.

With cold eyes, Nick Cutter spoke: "I have to go back to work. See you then," and stalked out of the office.

Lester felt the mood swing but didn't know what had suddenly gone wrong. It couldn't be something he'd said, could it?

The next few days were busy. Lester had to attend some meetings with the Prime Minister and several administrative bodies, whilst Cutter's team grappled with a horde of ancient horses in Hyde Park. Fortunately for Jenny, that incident was easy to cover up. Although the gene scientists, who got blamed for it probably thought otherwise.

James Lester hadn't found an opportunity to talk in private with Cutter since their last conversation. The one time he tried to rectify whatever he had done wrong, the other man had rebuffed him and talked only about work.

The more time elapsed the more desperate Lester got. He thought about their last private conversation over and over. It couldn't have been the bit about him carrying Cutter to bed in the drunken state. The man still wanted to meet him after that remark.  
That's only left his last sentence. Surely Cutter would not be offended about him addressing his soreness or teasing him about the deep-fried Crunchies?

Whilst Lester found that passion a little odd, it was certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

He had to find out the truth. By Thursday evening James Lester had arrived at a plan.

On Friday afternoon, Nick Cutter stopped at the ARC to speak with Connor about the saurian database he wanted to implement in the university. Nick had talked with the Dean already about that. It was time the boy finally got some acknowledgment for all his hard work.

There on his desk stood a plate with three Crunchies, apparently deep-fried and still warm. Beside the plate lay a sheet of paper with only one word written on it in block letters: SORRY!

Cutter swallowed. Only two people could have done this, surely this was not Helen? Slowly he sat down on his office chair and felt something soft under his behind. It was a fluffy white cushion. Nick Cutter closed his eyes to fight off the tears which welled up.

No one had cared so much for him in a long time.

As he opened his eyes again he looked straight in those of James Lester watching him from the door.

Nick Cutter blinked back the unshed tears and smiled happily.


	7. Moving

Moving (7)

James Lester was upset. Advising him to get a permanent home soon, something other than a hotel room, was ridiculous. The government could go to blazes.

Anyway, he didn't want to look for a new home yet. Finding a nice one wouldn't be easy. It seemed decent landlords didn't care much for aging single men.

Perhaps he should have told them about his divorce, but he did not talk with strangers about his private life.

So he had got some dubious glances but no flat. Buying a new house for one person alone was exorbitant but it seemed he had no choice.

Professor Cutter had never seen James Lester so beside himself. He stormed into the ARC and on into his office and banged the door.

Worried, Nick hurried after him.

Lester sat down and put his head in his hands wearily.

He looked up as Cutter stepped in, and seeing his curious looks he snarled: "I have to go house hunting, like the old days once again.

It seems a proper government employee without a permanent domicile is a risk to the safety of the British Empire."

Nick grinned: "Now I know why I didn't became a civil servant but went into university life, instead. The government are too nosy."

Lester kept a straight face. "And here was I thinking it was because you would have to work hard for real instead of playing miniature golf in your office and chasing dinosaurs in between games."

------

The next day, Lester was even more annoyed than the day before. After visiting 3 houses he'd had enough.

"All I want is a small room to sleep in, with a bathroom and a kitchen and not a whole manor," he sighed, as Cutter asked him about the house-hunting.

Cutter considered for a moment. His house was too large for him alone and sometimes he had thought about looking for a smaller one.

But moving all his things would have been too trying.

"You could move in with me. The house is too big now Helen's cleared off anyway," he mumbled.

Lester was astonished. He hadn't expected such an offer.

He was grateful, certainly, but there were some doubts in this mind also. He barely knew the other man and moving in with someone was a big step to take.

Then there was the fact that Cutter was now working officially for him, and other things he didn't want to think too closely about right now.

So he told Cutter: "I'm not sure it's a good idea. The civil service has some ingrained prejudice. Moving in with a man I supervise could displease them too."

"Blast it! They want you to get a permanent home and that's what you'd get moving into my house. It's just for a while until you find something you like."

Three days later, James Lester settled into the house of Professor Nick Cutter.

The removal had been as discreet as possible. No one at the ARC knew about it and fortunately, no one from civil service cared.

Or maybe they just hadn't noticed the similarity of the addresses yet.

-----

The first days were odd. Cutter had got used to being all on his own for the last 8 years.

There were some adjustments to make in have someone living with him again. The bathroom schedule for instance.

To find a half naked man in his bathroom, shaving, had thrown him into a loop the first time it had happened.

Lester preparing breakfast for them every morning still made him uncomfortable a week later.

But he liked the scalding strong coffee the man brewed far better as the mixture he'd managed to make himself.

The nice dinners Lester cooked now and then, and sharing the household chores, wasn't bad either.

-----

At work they managed to be purely professional.

No more watching each other awkwardly, no private talks. Just the usual professional banter the others were used to.

Abby, who had watched them curiously for a while, had finally given up as well.

After working together for hours, Lester and Cutter spent time with each other at home, talking, playing board games and cards or just watching TV.

James Lester felt at home in Cutter's house, the search for a flat of his own forgotten long ago.

Coming home every day to someone you could actually talk about your work was great.

It reminded him of the first years of his marriage when he'd still worked for a public branch of the government.

Lester had never thought he would ever live together with a man.

Now he'd realized that settling in with Cutter had been the best idea of his whole life.

The man was a nuisance but he also was smart, humorous, well behaved and he had a cute arse that James yearned to kiss some day.


	8. Doubting

Doubting (8)

The situation with Stephen slowly made an impact on their teamwork.

Cutter had tried to put all that behind him but sometimes he just couldn't forget his former friend's betrayal.

Those were the days when people got hurt.

Cutter had stopped counting the times when he'd limped home, bruised and sore.

Fortunately there was still the staghorn ointment which wasn't just useful for riders but for sore dinosaurs hunters too.

Today, it was Connor who'd paid the price.

The boy currently lay in the hospital with three broken ribs and a large wound over his chest, a little memento from a Percrocuta.

Without the fast intervention of the military, the young man would not have survived. Lieutenant Lyle was still in surgery.

Nick was furious. How could he have let that happen? He'd been so mad he'd actually yelled at Lester in the office and had uttered some terrible things.

The man had not yelled back but his stony face had said it all.

Nick Cutter had failed. He was a danger to his team and it would be better if he didn't remain as team leader.

Before Lester could voice something like that Cutter had left the ARC in a hurry and had simply walked for hours.

-----

Nick felt like hell. With his stupidy he had lost more than just his place on the team.

Lester was still his supervisor and this had made her relationship complicated.

That was probably why Lester had never reacted. Nick had tensely anticipated Lester's next move which never came.

Lester just seemed to be content with the platonic status of their relationship.

They'd become close friends and he'd cherished that.

Perhaps it had been better this way.

They both knew, if they screwed up their growing friendship in trying to screw each other, they would lose everything.

Their dealings now were like those Nick had had with Stephen, before Helen had torn them apart.

But Nick had never felt for Stephen the same way he now felt for James Lester.

He still saw himself as Stephen's mentor, something of a paternal figure like he was for Connor and Abby now.

There was a large fondness between them, but nothing more. But the feelings the rigid bureaucrat invoked in him he'd still failed to analyze.

And now in all likelihood nothing would ever happen between them.

Nick thought about their time together.

After getting Lester into his house and bed, or rather in the bed in his guestroom, it was nearly almost bliss to live with this man.

Lester had been attentive, he'd cooked some of Nick's favourite food on weekends and last Wednesday he'd even ironed one of Nick's shirts.

For heaven's sake, Lester had even tried a bit of deep-fried Crunchie for him. Although the hours Lester had to spent in the bathroom afterwards was not something Nick liked to remember.

Nick Cutter was never good at relationships. Now he had screwed up again.

He wished he could turn back the clock or find a way to repair the damage he'd done. Lester was worth it.

He would do almost anything not to loose him.

-----

Slowly, Nick staggered home. He was still badly bruised after his brush with the hyena-like carnivore which had attacked Connor.

There was no light in the house but in the faint light of the moon he saw Lester sitting on the couch in the living room.

Nick did not bother to greet him, instead he walked straight into his bathroom to get the staghorn ointment.

Every time he'd had to use the staghorn ointment lately, he'd teased Lester with the question: "Wanna help?"

In the past it had worked wonderfully to make Lester blush and shy away. This time Nick just asked out of habit.

So he was shocked when Lester stood up and with the words: "If you insist," had followed him into his bedroom.

Nick Cutter drew a deep breath. He felt like fainting. This was not real. It couldn't be real. Not after all what had happened today.

A demanding, "Strip and lay down on your belly!" snapped him out of his trance.

Nick hurried to comply. He sighed. If that was the way Lester wanted him to atone for his misbehavior he would oblige.

Naked and anxious, Nick Cutter stretched out on his bed. Maybe he should tell Lester about the whip Helen had liked to use which still lay hidden in the closet .

James Lester took the tube of ointment from the nightstand and squeezed out a large dollop onto Cutter's left leg, which had had to bear the brunt of the raging hyaena.

Then James tentatively touched Nick's skin for the first time.

Nick had expected pain and not a gentle touch. Now he had to stiffle a groan.

He couldn't remember a time when someone touching him had felt so good.

Searing heat raced through him from the point where Lester's fingertips grazed his skin, and gathered in his abdomen.

Discreetly, he tried to shift his body to get comfortable again as James Lester applied some pressure onto his sore skin.

It wasn't hurting much yet but it was making Nick uncomfortable enough to wither his semi-erection.

'Here it comes.' Nick thought and closed his eyes in defeat.

The pain never came. Lester only started to massage his thights in earnest.

After Lester had finished applying the oinment on all the injured parts of Nick's backside he gave him a mild pat on the arse and left the room.

Nick Cutter had been reduced to a quivering incoherent mass by then.

"Good night, Nick. Sleep well," he heard from the hallway.

And Nick did.

----

The next morning, Lester prepared breakfast like he did every day.

He watched as Cutter entered the kitchen, nervy and to afraid to look him in the eye.

James placed a cup of coffee before Nick and said: "To prevent further failings I suggest you talk to Stephen and sort out this mess."

Nick looked up in the tranquil eyes of James Lester.

With a grateful and tentative smile he promised, "I'll do that."


	9. Training

Nick Cutter did keep his promise. At the next opportunity he spoke with Stephen. It had been a painful talk, for both of them. But at the end they'd felt better. Perhaps they were not close friends again but comrades. A basis they could work from.

Afterwards, Nick visited Connor and Lyle in the hospital. Connor was happy with the new video game Nick had brought along and babbled about the creature who had attacked him. He couldn't wait to enter the real size of the Percrocuta into his data base, evidently it was smaller than the scientists had assumed until then.

Lyle had just laughed at Cutters present, Arthur Conan Doyle's book The Lost World. "Just what I need - more dinosaurs."

Nick was glad to hear that they were getting better and that they would be able to come back to work relatively soon.

The next day Nick was busy setting up a training schedule for the team. Everyone would get combat training and shooting practice, even Connor.

Something as dangerous as the incident with the prehistoric hyena should never be allowed to happen again. It was time they behaved like people who had the world to save on regular base and not like nosy, helpless academics.

Stephen and Lester watched his activities curiously but they went along with him in the end. It improved Nick's self confidence to know both men agreed with his plans.

At home, everything was back to normal. But Cutter just couldn't forget the night Lester had touched his naked skin. Of course he'd been hurt at the time but it hadn't stopped him from enjoying the man's powerful touch.

The problem was that Lester did not seem inclined to touch him again.

So Nick started to lean closer to him when looking at some papers, accidently brushing Lester's shoulder with his arm and doing anything he could to provoke him.  
But to no avail, Lester just ignored his advances.

The training progressed nicely. Connor, whilst not ready for combat training with his still healing ribs, had actually managed to successfully hit some targets. True, it was not the target he was aiming for, but he was pleased with himself anyway.

At some point Lester had joined them. He had even dragged Jenny along. Jenny Lewis had complained most of the time about the unfashionable boots she had to wear but she gave them all quite a shock when she laid Stephen flat on his back with a skillful move.

"I learnt that in the course 'Self defence for the weaker sex'," Jenny said, nonchalantly.

Abby was so impressed she hovered over Jenny for the rest of the session.

Nick had difficulties in concentrating. He couldn't tear away his eyes away from Lester. In the tight training gear he could see the muscular body the man normally hid behind his business suit . Lester was lean but not skinny, his stomach still firm and his arms showed a nice amount of muscles.

After Nick had seen him horse-riding some weeks before, he was not suprised that Lester possessed fast reflexes and was a good shot too. The stretching and relaxing exercises they had to do afterwards nearly made him loose his mind. James Lester stood before him and Nick needed all of his self control not to reach out and touch the firm arse flexing there.

He desperately wanted to touch Lester.

Some time later, there was a chance to do just that. Lester sat alone in his office and no one was around right now to watch them.

Determinedly, Nick Cutter walked into the office straight over to Lester and put his hand on Lester's shoulder. Lester ignored that touch as he usually did.

This time, however, Nick didn't retreat, he just started to caress the right side of Lester's neck with his thumb.

Lester gulped and Nick felt the fine hairs on the other man's neck rising.

'Ah, not so unaffected as we like to pretend, are we?' Nick thought, pleased.

He now used his whole left hand to circle round the other man's neck.

"Not here, Cutter. Not at work." Lester pleaded, hoarsely. "I've got my reputation to maintain here. Nick, just stop that now! We can do this at home."

"What can we do at home?" Nick asked, challengingly.

Lester blushed then tried to compose himself again: "Anything you want to do," he whispered finally. "I have some news to tell you anyway."

"All right, see you later then." Satisfied Nick gave Lester a brief peck on the cheek and left the office.

Lester looked around carefully for on-lookers and was glad no one was about to have seen them. Then he touched his cheek at the spot Nick Cutter had kissed him and smiled for the rest of the day.


	10. Kissing

Elated, Nick Cutter walked home. He had bought a nice bottle of wine and some snacks. Today, James Lester and he would at last step over the fine line they had drawn some time ago. Lester had promised he would go along with anything he wanted to do. That showed Nick how much faith Lester had in him.

Therefore Nick would go easy on him. Just a little touching and cuddling to start with. They had enough time ahead to allow themselves to move slowly now.

When Lester arrived, Nick had prepared the table, the wine was ready to be served and he had dimmed the lights.

Lester looked amused. "It seems you are going for romance today."

Nick Cutter sheepishly answered: "I wanted it to be special. Tonight we're finally.... I mean you said I could... Errr, I sound like an idiot. You know what I mean... I've wanted to touch you for weeks but you've never reacted. I'm just glad you are here with me now and we can spend a nice evening together. No pressure."

"I'm sorry about my restrained behaviour, but there is something I have to tell you first."

Nick didn't like the sound of this. Surely it would not be something good. Lester would not back off, would he? Perhaps he had met someone else or he wanted to go back to his ex-wife and start anew.

As Lester took a sheet of paper out of his brief case, Nick stepped closer, curious.

"Your divorce papers. They only needs your signature and you're a free man again."

"I can't believe it. That was really fast. I had expected it would take much longer." Impulsively he hugged Lester and pulled him over to the couch. "Sit down, I'll fetch the wine. We have to celebrate."

A moment later Nick filled their glasses and said cheers to Lester. Then he took a pen and signed the papers.

Lester watched him with an amused smile. He had removed his jacket and opened up the first buttons on his shirt. Then he sat down on the couch and waited for Nick to calm down again.

Finally Nick sat alongside him and gently touched Lester's cheek. "Thank you, James. Without you I would have been still shackled to that bitch."

For the first time Lester leaned into the touch then said: "I'm glad I could be of help." He looked Cutter deep in the eyes. "By the way, Nick, that blue silk shirt becomes you. You should wear something like that more often. Of course, it would have been harder for me to resist you then. You don't know how many times I've just wanted to kiss you."

Nick was a little confused right now. He'd been ready to go slowly, starting with some touching so as not to scare the shy man away and suddenly Lester wanted to kiss him?

Nick took a deep breath, all at once he was very nervous in the presence of the other man who watched him intensive. Nick Cutter had never kissed a man on the lips before. Thinking about doing that felt rather strange. What if he didn't like it? Or if Lester was disappointed. He was glad he'd taken the time to brush his teeth on his trip to the bathroom.

"Why now?" he asked, insecurely.

"Now you are a divorced man." Lester spoke calmly. "I don't like kissing someone else's spouse."

Nick guffawed. "Helen was hardly my spouse anymore. You know perfectly well that, my marriage existed on paper only. I can't believe that was the reason. I thought it was me. I thought you don't want me anymore."

"In some areas I'm an old fashioned man. Get used to it."

Before Nick could say anything in reply, Lester leaned over and touched his cheek, then trailed a forefinger over Nick's lips. Nick unconsciously closed his eyes at the soft feeling.  
Then there was a press of lips on his own. It felt strange. After being used to the soft skin of a woman, the fine stubble on Lester's face was a little disconcerting.

Lester deepened the kiss whilst gently touching Nick's back and drawing him closer. To feel the hard, manly chest against his own was exciting. Nick grabbed the other man's head and buried his fingers in the fine hair on James' neck. He liked doing this. In the past digging his hands into a woman's hair to touch her neck had lead to a few awkward moments as he'd pulled some strands of their long hair in the progress.  
With Lester's short fine hair he had free access to his neck and he made delighted use of it.

James Lester lost himself in the feelings. Kissing Nick finally, after all so much longing, made him giddy. He leaned over more, hugging Nick and nearly stradling him.  
Some shifting later, Nick was pinned down on the couch with Lester rubbing his body against him. Feeling the other man's erection against his leg through the cloth of their trousers made Nick freeze for a moment. To know James Lester had an erection, because of him, was weird and arousing at the same time. He felt his own penis rising and moved a little so their groins could rub against each other.

That was mind-boggling. He was kissing a man and rubbing against him and he liked it and he still wanted more. Then he felt Lester's tongue against his lips, pleading for access and he lost all control.

"Shit, that was not what I wanted to happen." Nick whispered embarrassed.

"It's all right." James replied, soothingly. "I nearly came myself."

"Why didn't you?"

"I was to busy watching you doing it."

Nick chuckled. "Do you want to come?"

"Yes, definitily." James whispered, aroused and wiggled his lap. "But I think I need some more stimulation. Just rubbing and kissing is not enough for me."  
Tense, Nick said: "James, I don't think I'm ready for that, not yet. Perhaps it's enough if..."

Lester interrupted him, slowly straightening up from Nick's body: "Hey, I just want you to touch my nipples. OK? Can you do that for me?"

"Oh, of course, I can." Nick sat up quickly and straddled him, then deftly opened James' shirt and shoved it aside. He tentatively touched Lester's right nipple with his forefinger and circled around it.

James hissed and bucked against him.

"Whoa, you've got very sensitive nipples. I like that." Nick kissed him briefly on the mouth than slid down to his chest, peppering his body with small nips and kisses before he let his tongue glide around the fiery nub.

A loud groaning spurred him on and Nick took the nipple hard between his lips and sucked.

James groaned again, squirmed against him and came.

Nick watched as James sagged back on the couch and closed his eyes.

"Hey, you're not sleeping here. You will get cricks. Come on, James! Stand up and go to bed."  
Sleepily, Lester replied. "Just want to rest for a minute."

Nick wiggled against him: "Are you sure you want to stay here in this condition?"

Lester sighed. "I suppose we'd better get cleaned up. Ugh, I've never come in my pants before. It's messy."

"There's a first time for everyhing, James." Nick grinned. "At the moment I don't mind messy. But we should do something about it before it dries."

He stood up and went into the bathroom.

Lester followed him and cleaned up himself. As he walked out of the bathroom forwards in direction of the former guestroom and now his little kingdom, Nick stepped in front of him.  
"I want to share a bed with you tonight."

James Lesters raised his eyebrows, but Nick continued: "Just to sleep. Nothing else. I don't think I'm up for more right now, even if I wanted it. It's been a stressful day and all.  
Of course, you can sleep in your own room if you prefer that. I just thought...after we have... It's been so long since someone was in my bed. I just want to feel you close."

Lester smiled, amused: "If you insist," and followed Nick in his bedroom.

There was a awkward moment when they both considered what to wear in bed. Then Lester disappeared briefly into his room and came back clad in pyjama bottoms and a vest. Meanwhile, Nick had changed into a tee-shirt and loose fitting boxer shorts. As Nick slid into bed on the right side, James got comfortable on the left.

Lester felt a warm body snuggle up to him and an arm wrapping around his belly. He closed his eyes in contentment. There was no place he'd rather be right now than in the arms of Nick Cutter, the man he loved.

Helen crept into the guest room. Tonight she could sleep here. Interrupting Nick's sleep was not a way to get into his good graces again. Perhaps tomorrow they would share the marriage-bed. After all she knew what he liked best.

Helen turned around in the bed and tried to sleep. The bed smelled of the musky odor of sweat and a man's aftershave. Not Nick's and definitely not Stephen's.

'Must be Connor's,' she thought. 'The kid probably had trouble at home and Nick let him sleep here. Nick was really too nice for his own good. But dammit he should have changed the bedding.'

Finally, Helen slipped into an uneasy sleep.

And there in Professor Nicholas Cutter's house, three people dreamt of a bright future ahead.


	11. Troubling Spin

After a wakeful night, Helen Cutter roamed the kitchen of her house. She found the remains of roast pork in the fridge, Crunchies in the cupboard and the kitchen well-stocked with vegetables and fruit. When had Nick learned to cook? And since when had he started to eat that horrible Crunchie concoction again? She'd thought she'd had him cured of that distasteful habit a long time ago.

Helen walked into the master bedroom eating a banana. It was time to revive her past relationship and play with her husband.

Then she stood rigid in the bedroom she had once shared with Nick and stared in shock at the bed. It was occupied, by two men. She could not believe it, her husband was sleeping with a man, James Lester to boot. They were spooning, with Nick curled around Lester. The image looked so cosy Helen felt like throwing up.

She left the house in a hurry, shutting the frontdoor with a bang.

Slowly, Nick Cutter woke up, with a feeling of happiness and a warm glow. He cuddled contently against the body lying next to him. Being close to someone, just holding another human, was the thing he had missed the most.

After years of marriage to Helen he had believed he was too screwed up to get close to other people. Stephen was the first person who had got through the armor he had built around himself. Then came Claudia, all sweet and nice. She had given him hope. The feelings she'd brought back to life had shown him he had a chance of a better future. When she had vanished it had seemed like she had taken all of his rising hope with her.

And then there was James Lester, a civil servant he'd had a rocky start with. At first he'd believed they had nothing in common. It had taken time to see the intelligent and humorous man behind the mask of the cold blooded bureaucrat.

Now that man was sleeping peacefully in his arms.

With James beside him, he felt loved and cared for, something he had yearned for all his life.

Nick ghosted a kiss on his lover's smooth shoulder blade. "James, time to wake up."

Lester muttered some nonsense and slept on. Nick chuckled. With a tentative lick, he wet the lobe of the man's left ear then took it gently between his lips.

Nick felt a faint tremor going through the body he was cuddling.

After a thorough sweep over his outer ear, James finally reacted. "That's a nice way to wake up but I would have preferred you to let me sleep a little longer. I didn't know you could be such a nuisance in the mornings," he grumped.

"Morning to you too. And I didn't know you could be so grumpy in the mornings. Usually I see you in the kitchen all chipper," Nick replied.

"After my first cup of coffee I will be."

Lester turned around to Nick who was resting now on his elbow, and inspected him, his tousled hair, his bright eyes and the soft glow on his cheeks. "Did you sleep well?"

Cutter nodded in the affirmative.

"Any regrets?" A shake of the head.

"What for?" Nick asked, grinning. "For the most powerful orgasm I've in years?"

"I'm glad you see it that was. I got a bit carried away yesterday. Pouncing on you in the living room was not the way I'd imagined spending our evening together. I'd wanted to take it slow."

Nick chuckled: "Any slower and I would have died of anticipation. Don't forget I'm the one who's pursued you the last few weeks. I wanted something to happen between us. But I wasn't sure that you wanted the same thing. You have to admit my marriage to Helen was a ridiculous excuse for your reluctance."

"I have my principles. Marriage for me is a sacred bond I will not cross. When I'm together with someone I have to be sure there is no one else."

Nick smiled amused: "A little possessive, are we?"

"That's what I'am. I don't like to share. You'll have to accept that."

"Don't worry, I don't care for threesomes either." Saying that Nick sprung up of the bed and walked into the bathroom.

When he came back again, Lester was already in the kitchen, drinking his first cup of coffee.

The way they did every day, they took separate cars to the ARC as Lester preferred.

So their usual working day at the ARC began.

At ten o'clock the Detector revealed a new Anomaly.

Cutter and his team were out of the building before Lester could even give the order.  
The two proceratosaurs they were confronted with at the anomaly in Epping Forest were frightening. But the team reacted without hesitation. With a well-aimed shot Abby hit the larger reptile in the shoulder. Connor's first shot was off the mark but with the second he caught the animal in the left thight.

With a grunt the mighty creature slumped to the ground.

Stephen and Nick dealt with the smaller animal. When the military arrived twelve minutes later, with Lester and Jenny Lewis in tow, they already had the situation under control.

Cutter's training program had been tried and tested.

They grinned happily at each other, even Lester flashed a smile as he saw their success.

In the afternoon, an emergency call in a kindergarten in Merton came up. A strange creature in the toilet bowl had scared a child.

The prehistoric octopus, luckily just a infant itself, were rescued out of the bowl where it had got stuck.

Connor was busy trying to control his Detector. There was no evidence an anomaly had opened in that area but he knew there should have been some signal.

Two hours later, they had to catch a group of oligokyphus, small weasel like creatures, in the kitchen of the "Avista", a nice italian restaurant. Again, there was no message from the Anomaly Detector.

Cutter was frustrated. The day had started excellently and then the problems with Connor's Detector had materialised.

He watched Connor who was messing around with his creation. He wanted to scream at the boy to do something about the failures.

A hand on his shoulder stopped him from loosing control. Nick looked around, expecting to see Lester there. But is was Stephen who led him away to calm down.

After a break and a talk with Stephen, Nick had regained his composure. He felt the old fellowship with his former friend returning slowly. Now he was sure there wouldn't be anything the team couldn't master.

Nick went back to Connor and said to him encouraging: "I know you'll find out what's wrong with the system. But take a break now. I think Abby would be happy with some company. She's feeding the mammoth right now."

Connor smiled gratefully up to him then hurried off to find Abby.

The evening brought them lystrosaurs in a laundry in Newham, again with no anomaly nearby.

Jenny Lewis and Lester had their hands full with covering up the incidents whilst the team chased the unwelcome visitors from the past.

At the end of the day they all were worn out.

They were tired by the time they reached home. After showering, Nick walked into his bedroom with just a towel around his hips and threw himself down on the bed.

Lester automatically followed him into the master bedroom. Clean and clad in pyjama bottoms and vest he slipped under the sheets. James didn't mind in the slightest as the naked body of Nick Cutter snuggled up to him.

The next days more animals showed up. The ARC was in a state of constant alarm now.

In one of the rare rest periods, Stephen took Cutter aside. "I think someone is behind what's going on. There are no anomalies anymore but we're still finding animals, all rather harmless, never predators. It seems like someone wants to send us a message."

"You think it's Helen who's pulling our strings?"

"I don't know anyone else who it could be."

"What's about Leek?"

Lester's slimy assistant, had dissappeared some time ago when he'd got caught trying to sell some of their prehistoric animals on the black market.

Stephen shook his head. "It's not his style. He'd be more likely to send dangerous creatures along to get his point across. Besides he hasn't got the knowledge to do it. He was fired weeks before Connor finished the Detector."

Nick had to agree. He sighed deeply. It seemed that Helen was trying to make his life miserable once again.

After they had collected three Archaeothyris in the morning, from a butcher's shop in Southwark where they were appreciative chewing on some discarded giblets, the rest of Friday passed uneventfully. They all hoped it would last. They needed a break.

Nick was already on his way home. Lester was ready to follow him and had left the building.

"Hallo, Lester! Was it good, sleeping with my husband?"

James Lester turned around to face the self-assured woman leaning against the wall.

"Ah, the former Mrs. Cutter. I take it you are the one responsible for the pleasant surprises of the last days."

"I'm asking you again: Did you enjoy, fucking my husband?"

"That's none of your business. So hurry up and say what you intend before I call the military to arrest you."

"I don't think so, Lester. I'm sure you don't want people to get hurt, do you?" Helen asked provocatively.

As Lester showed no sign to of using his mobile she continued arrogantly, "There are some men waiting to let loose a couple of very mean animals if I don't come back soon.  
The dinky little creatures of the last days were just a warning. Do you think you can continue to cover up such events en masse, specially when there are casualties?" she sneered.

"What do you want?" Lester asked, stonily.

"I think it's quite evident. Firstly, stop your manhunt. Secondly, I want validation that I'm still alive and thirdly, I want my husband back."

"I can do something about the first two but I can't grant your last wish. Cutter isn't your property."

"That was not a wish, Lester. Nick is mine. We're still married."

"No, you are not. The divorce becames final some days ago."

Helen lost some of her composure. "You're lying."

Lester smiled smugly. "No, I'm not. I'm sure you'll get your copy of the divorce papers immediately after you've attained a proper residence again."

Soberly, he added:" Just leave him alone. You have messed him up enough."

"You bloody hypocrite. He's my toy."

"Not anymore. He belongs to me now. I will stop the tracing and you'll get back your legality. But I warn you, keep away from Nick. If something happens to him because of your scheming, I'll hunt you down myself and kill you."

Looking into the hard unflinching eyes of James Lester, Helen slowly backed away.

For the first time in years she had the feeling she'd lost a match.

To make sure she got the last word she said spitefully: "Do you really think Nick will stay with you? You're not man enough to give him what he needs."

Lester watched her vanish in the shadows. He was too agitated to drive right now.

Going over the conversation with Helen in his head, he started to walk.

And he walked the whole way home.

*******************************************************************************************************************+

AN: This story has developed in an long WIP which also has other pairings like Abby/Connor. To be on the save side because there are some later chapters who are higher rated I've stopped posting here.

All the other chapters will only be published at The ARC: primevalarchive.(/viewstory).php?sid=650

++++Just remove the brackets++++

Currently there are 44 chapters online.


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